


Hold Still

by moonwaif



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Bisexual Cloud Strife, College AU, Drabble, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, unlearning toxic masculinity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-18 17:22:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20642882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonwaif/pseuds/moonwaif
Summary: "What's one thing you always wanted to do, but just never had the guts to?"Cloud's fingers stilled on the keyboard. Words, unbidden, rose to his mind.'Kiss Tifa.''Kiss you.'"Paint my nails," he blurted, instantly regretting it.





	Hold Still

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a Tumblr request. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy.

When Cloud had agreed to the last-minute study session, he hadn't expected to end up holding hands with Zack Fair. 

Well, not exactly “holding.” It was more just “touching” as Zack cradled his fingers. Cloud drew in a shuddery breath as Zack brought the cold, wet brush across his nails. 

"Hold still," Zack murmured. "Or I'm gonna mess it up." 

"S-sorry." 

The sound of his own voice made him cringe. Hoarse, breathy. Totally and completely uncool. 

"Your cuticles are a mess, dude. Shoulda bought some cream." 

"There's a cream for that?" Cloud asked. Not that he really cared about the answer. He was too busy _watching_. After all, he wasn’t gonna lose out on such a great opportunity to admire Zack’s face, especially not when they were seated this close. The long, dark lashes were on full display as Zack's gaze turned downward; the lips, quirked upward to form a dimple in the pit of one cheek; and then his hands, strong and veiny but moving with a calm, gentle precision that Cloud had never seen Zack use before. 

"’Course there's a cream for that," he replied. "They've got a cream for everything." 

"O-oh." 

Cloud swallowed, tried to ignore the rough skin of Zack's palm pressed against his own. Or how good it felt to have Zack's attention entirely to himself. 

That wasn't an easy feat. Zack was infamously distractible  —which is probably why their study session had been doomed from the start. Just a little over fifteen minutes in, and Zack had already launched into his squat routine. When he’d gotten tired of that, he plopped his butt down right on top of Cloud's desk. 

"Hey, Cloud?" 

Cloud's eyes had remained fixed on his laptop. "Yeah?" 

"What's one thing you always wanted to do, but just never had the guts to?" 

"I don't know. Where's this coming from?" 

"Just . . . bored." Zack scratched the back of his neck. "So? What about it?" 

"I don’t know. What about you ?" 

"Eh, you know me. Not a whole lot stops me from going after what I want." 

Yes, Cloud agreed internally. That passion, that drive. A very attractive quality. 

"But looking back,” Zack went on, “sometimes I wish I woulda challenged Sephiroth to a one-on-one match when I had the chance, y'know  ?" 

"You'll have other chances.” Cloud tried not to sound too jealous. "Your mentor is his teammate, remember?" 

It was difficult sometimes, being best friends with the whiz kid Zack Fair--especially when you were a fluke like Cloud Strife. Sure, they'd both made the blitzball  team and received full-ride scholarships, but Zack was in a league of his own. Watching him play was like fireworks: bright, brilliant and full of noise. No wonder he'd captured the attention of even professional players and coaches, who were already queuing up for the day he graduated. Cloud, on the other hand? He just made a good publicity story for the team. After all, how many kids in Nibelheim not only played blitzball but actually managed to be decent at it? 

Zack folded his arms. "Yeah, but I don't wanna wait. Anyway, it's your turn. What've you always wanted to do?" 

Cloud's fingers stilled on the keyboard. Words, unbidden, rose to his mind. 

_ Kiss __Tifa__. _

_ Kiss you. _

"Paint my nails," he blurted, instantly regretting it. 

That was how they ended up at a beauty salon a few blocks from campus. They definitely drew stares. For Zack, they were the good kind of stares, of course. He caught people's eye no matter where he went, so the extra attention wasn't exactly a surprise. What was unexpected was how much Zack seemed to know about nail supplies. 

"Why do we need two clear coats?" Cloud asked, frowning. 

"'Cuz  one goes on top and one goes on bottom." 

". . . Why?" 

"To make it last longer," Zack said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Now. Let's pick out a color. Whaddya want?" 

Cloud stared at the rows upon rows of bottles, like so many rainbows spanning the shop wall. He read the display placards: gel, powder, shimmer, pearl . . . 

"  Er. I don't even know where to start.” 

Laughing, Zack moved behind Cloud and clasped his shoulders. He guided him toward a section of the wall. “Start here! Now come on, Spike. What speaks to you? And don't worry about price, today's on me." 

"This is stupid," Cloud muttered, but he approached the shelf. No pastels, he decided. He wasn't feeling that comfortable. And the neutral browns and shell pinks seemed pointless. Instead he went for a deep, almost-black navy blue. 

"You sure that's what you want?" Zack asked as they approached the register. "Why not sky blue? It’d bring out your eyes." 

Cloud shook his head. "No. This is what I want." 

And it had been. Cloud just hadn't expected that Zack would be the one doing the nail painting for him. 

"I can do it myself, you know,” he grumbled. 

Zack snorted. "Yeah right. Not after the mess you made of your thumb. You're not supposed to get so much paint on the brush. Less is more. Once it dries you can go back and do another coat." 

"How do you know so much about this stuff?" Cloud asked. 

Zack dipped the brush back into the bottle. "Lulu taught me," he explained. "Her and Lebreau used to have me do their nails. Rinoa too. They thought it was cute." 

Cloud's stomach clenched. Of course. 

"Guess you're popular with girls for a reason," he muttered. This drew a chuckle from Zack. Cloud stiffened, his brow furrowing. 

"What?" he demanded, defensive. 

"Nothing. It's just, they'd probably get a kick out of hearing anyone call me popular." Grinning, he turned his attention back to Cloud's nails. "I mean, they weren't my girlfriends, if that's what you're thinking." 

Cloud's face burned. He thought about denying it. 

"Who are they, then?" he asked instead. 

Zack finished coating a nail, then looked up. No one's eyes should be that beautiful, Cloud thought. No one's jaw so chiseled. No one's lips sculpted with such a sinful cupid's bow. 

Zack flicked him on the forehead. "They're my sisters, you dork." 

** THE END **


End file.
